Daily Record (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Countian) articles from November 2006

Daily Record (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Countian) archives from November 2006

The stem cell debate in Missouri.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Donna Walter Missourians will decide next week whether to amend the state constitution to protect stem cell research. Advertisements have bombarded the airwaves -- with each side accusing the other of lying about what the amendment...

Notice to readers.
November 1, 2006... Byline: S. Richard Gard Jr. As of today, Missouri Lawyers Media has assumed the advertising contracts of the Watchman News Group and incorporated its publications into our own. As a result, Watchman legal notices for St. Louis, Jefferson...

St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Hoester was devoted to law, helping children.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Will Connaghan St. Louis County lost a good friend last week with the passing of Judge Robert G. J. Hoester on Oct. 23 at the age of 82. He was a man who cared deeply about the St. Louis County Circuit Court and its history. He was...

Attorneys could take some lessons from elephants who never forget.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Jim Wirken When I was at law school I came across Elephants have good memories. I seized information and started using the comment Elephants never forget. Somewhere along the way through high school, college and law school, I...

ABA proposes new ethical rules for judges.
November 2, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Proposed new ABA rules would allow judges and judicial candidates to give positions on political issues, while making clear their obligation to uphold the law regardless of their personal views. The...

Edward Jones settlement would give plaintiffs $22 each; attorneys to split $38M.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Heather Cole Edward D. Jones & Co. current and former customers would receive an average of $22 in cash and credits, and plaintiffs' attorneys would split about $38 million in fees under a preliminary settlement agreement submitted...

St. Louis County Circuit Court rules collector can't keep stolen paintings.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Allison Retka The latest episode in the 2-year-old saga of civil and criminal trials about an elaborate 2004 art heist has concluded with a summary judgment in St. Louis County Circuit Court. An associate circuit judge ruled Oct....

Missouri needs to track insurance.
November 2, 2006... Byline: William Bradt and family Editor: My wife was killed in an automobile crash caused by an uninsured motorist. It was a devastating loss. Our family's loss was compounded by the knowledge that the state of Missouri does not have a...

St. Louis school instructor takes government class of seniors to courthouse.
November 3, 2006... Byline: Allison Retka It took 10 minutes of jury deliberations over potato chips and sandwich wrappers before one juror piped up with a lawyer's worst nightmare. "Let's just flip a coin," he suggested, then tossed a nickel down the table...

Missouri Lawyers Media purchases St. Louis-based Watchman News Group.
November 3, 2006... Byline: Will Connaghan This week's purchase of the Watchman News Group by Missouri Lawyers Media marks the end of one era and the beginning of another. For those who may not realize it, Missouri Lawyers Media is the new name of the company...

St. Louis Court of Appeals orders a reconstruction of the Batson challenge.
November 3, 2006... Byline: Emily Umbright It wasn't the evidence, his claims of ineffective counsel, nor the appearance of judicial bias -- as the Missouri Supreme Court thrice considered -- that brought a halt to defendant Herbert Smulls' death sentence....

Five Carmody MacDonald lawyers selected as 2006 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyer.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Five lawyers from Carmody MacDonald P.C. have been selected as a 2006 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyer. Carmody MacDonald lawyers include James R. Cantalin, Gerard T. Carmody, James P. Carmody, Mark B....

Triad Bank announces promotions.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Triad Bank has named Stacey Tate, C.P.A., as vice president and controller and Michael Rami as senior vice president of business development and lending. The Frontenac-based community bank also...

Midwest BankCentre names commercial loan officer.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Christopher Rife has been promoted to commercial loan officer at Midwest BankCentre. Rife is responsible for underwriting loans, developing new business with commercial customers and maintaining...

Home Builders Assn. of St. Louis & Eastern Missouri elects president.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Matt Belcher, president of Belcher Homes, has been elected the 73rd president of the Home Builders Association of St. Louis & Eastern Missouri. The HBA is a local trade association of more than 1,300...

Brinkmann Constructors hires project manager.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Mike Uhrig has joined Brinkmann Constructors as a project manager, where he leads project teams for the design/build general contractor. Uhrig previously worked as a project manager at Byrne & Jones...

Brown Smith Wallace promotes Twila Farris.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Twila Farris has been promoted to manager in the insurance and reinsurance services practice at Brown Smith Wallace. In her new role as manager, Farris will become more involved in developing and...

Buckingham Family of Financial Services hires investment advisor.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Madaline Creehan has joined the Buckingham Family of Financial Services as an investment advisor for Buckingham Asset Management Inc. As an Investment Advisor, she will be responsible for helping...

Gov. Blunt appoints Anthony Thompson to Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Anthony Thompson, president of St. Louis-based Kwame Building Group, to the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education. Thompson's appointment is subject to...

Benefit Plans Plus names new senior administrator.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Cindy Mueller joins Benefit Plans Plus as senior administrator. Mueller's responsibilities include implementing and administrating employee benefit plans and acting as a 401k sales and fiduciary...

Rabbitt, Pitzer & Snodgrass PC adds four associates to staff.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Rabbitt, Pitzer & Snodgrass PC has added Nicholas Bunnell, David Page, Allison Stoll and Jeffrey York to serve as associates. York joins the firm's construction/architect professional liability group...

First National Bank of St. Louis names VP in commercial lending.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff First National Bank of St. Louis has added Patrick C. Lordo as a vice president in the bank's commercial lending department. Lordo is a Certified Public Accountant with extensive experience in financial...

Armstrong Teasdale elects new partner.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Armstrong Teasdale LLP has elected Martha "Marty" N. Hereford a partner of the firm. Hereford is a member of the firm's international law practice group. She received her law degree from Washington...

Polsinelli Shalton Welte Suelthaus adds two to St. Louis office.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Ari M. Bai and Elissa L. Schauman have joined Polsinelli Shalton Welte Suelthaus PC's St. Louis office. Bai is a shareholder in the science and technology group. His practice involves the preparation and...

Riezman Berger announces staffing changes.
November 4, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff David H. Chervitz has joined Riezman Berger PC as a principal practicing in the areas of patent, trademark and intellectual property. In addition, Jennifer Geschke, Joseph Schneider and Mark Kleine have...

Federal court hears Valley Park arguments.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Allison Retka Attorneys scuffled Friday afternoon in federal court for standing on the proper jurisdiction of Valley Park's immigration ordinance battle. Oral arguments before U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber pivoted from...

Missouri election officials do what they can to ensure a smooth election process.
November 7, 2006... Byline: Donna Walter With the eyes of the nation on the outcome of a potentially tight U.S. Senate race, Missouri election officials are doing what they can to ensure a smooth election process today. In St. Louis, they promise many more...

Missouri-based Husch & Eppenberger elects new chief executive.
November 7, 2006... Byline: Heather Cole Land-use and real-estate attorney Carrie Hermeling will be the next chief executive of Husch & Eppenberger, starting Jan. 1. Hermeling, elected Sunday morning at a member retreat in Scottsdale, Ariz., will be the only...

St. Louis midterm elections progress smoothly despite a few squabbles.
November 8, 2006... Byline: Allison Retka and Emily Umbright Election Day squabbles in the metro area included one scuffle between a St. Louis County Election Board lawyer and an attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union just steps from election board...

Judicial retention portion of the ballot baffles St. Louis voters.
November 8, 2006... Byline: Will Connaghan Election Day 2006 began in a fog for those heading to the polls on Tuesday morning. The air may not clear until all the votes are counted and possibly recounted after the polls close. I headed to my polling place at...

Unconventional methods of practicing law will impress coworkers.
November 8, 2006... Byline: Jim Wirken Somewhere along the path of twists and turns leading to law school and beginning to practicing law, I came upon a concept to do things in a way that made the end product exceptional and in some ways memorable. The idea...

St. Louis hospital agrees to preserve surveillance tapes for evidence in newborn child's death.
November 9, 2006... Byline: Allison Retka Security officials at St. John Mercy's Medical Center in St. Louis have agreed to preserve hospital surveillance tapes that may contain evidence in the Sept. 3 death of a newborn. Attorneys for the infant's mother...

Ethics can conflict with unpaid bills.
November 9, 2006... Byline: Bridget Heos Do you have a file drawer in your office reserved for unpaid bills? Not yours but your clients. Maybe they thought they could pay you, but then they got hit with more bad luck that year. Maybe they never had the money...

Campaign trail can be bumpy for attorneys.
November 9, 2006... Byline: Allison Retka Trudging door to door in freezing sleet the weekend before Election Day was no obstacle for state representative hopeful Genevieve "Gen" Frank of Fenton. What proved more challenging to her political aspirations was...

St. Louis voters retain all 29 judges.
November 9, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff The biggest question in the normally routine judicial retention balloting Tuesday was whether voters would heed the recommendations of lawyers who took part in The Missouri Bar's judicial retention survey. St....

St. Louis Regional Veterans Day Parade only draws a couple thousand people downtown.
November 10, 2006... Byline: Will Connaghan We've had more than our share of big parades in downtown St. Louis this year. The Mardi Gras parade in February, the St. Patrick's Day parade in March, the Veiled Prophet parade in July and, of course, the World...

Attorneys may review 'metadata,' ABA says.
November 11, 2006... Byline: Marie Price Lawyers may use information in hidden "metadata" in electronic documents they receive, even those from opposing counsel, according to a new ethics opinion issued by the American Bar Association. Metadata is, simply...

Newswoman Helen Thomas, Second City to help salute Bill of Rights here.
November 11, 2006... Byline: Donna Walter Former White House Bureau Chief Helen Thomas and The Second City Touring Company are coming to St. Louis in what's being billed as the local chapter of the ACLU's biggest Bill of Rights celebration ever. The American...

Unusual adult adoption highlights annual celebration.
November 11, 2006... Byline: Emily Umbright The unique adoption of a 21-year-old under court jurisdiction since 1986 will be just one of the cases the St. Louis County Family Court will finalize during its annual Adoption Saturday celebration on Nov. 18. Now...

Federal court resource center helps those helping themselves.
November 14, 2006... Byline: Donna Walter A world of information has opened up for litigants who plan to represent themselves in federal court. At the beginning of the month, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri opened its self-help...

St. Louis Lawyers' Gridiron Show to celebrate 50 years of fun.
November 15, 2006... Byline: Will Connaghan The Lawyers Association of St. Louis is pulling out all of the stops for this year's 50th Annual Gridiron Show scheduled for Friday night at the Khorassan Room at the Chase Hotel. Since 1956, a troupe of very...

Worker sues Dole Food Company over sting from hidden scorpion.
November 15, 2006... Byline: Allison Retka The perpetrator was 3 inches long, jet black with a mighty sting. It attacked Earlene Mack's finger as she unloaded a crate of Dole bananas at Christian Northeast Hospital, and now, two years after the "terrifying"...

Doing the impossible just takes a little longer.
November 15, 2006... Byline: Jim Wirken

Critic of mayor wins $1.3 million against St. Peters.
November 16, 2006... Byline: Donna Walter You may not be able to fight City Hall, but you can successfully sue it. St. Peters resident Brian Hodak, an outspoken critic of former Mayor Tom Brown and his administration, and his wife, Karla Hodak, were forced to...

Nigerian lawyer will discuss Islamic law at Saint Louis University lecture.
November 16, 2006... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Saint Louis University School of Law will host a speech this Sunday by Hauwa Ibrahim, a Nigerian lawyer who successfully defended a woman sentenced to death by stoning for having a child out...

Correction.(Correction notice)
November 16, 2006... Byline: Staff Report In the Nov. 15 issue of this paper, a story titled Worker sues Dole Food Company over sting from hidden scorpion incorrectly referred to the scorpion as an insect. Scorpions are of the arachnid class of animals.

Letter: BAMSL defends judicial survey.
November 16, 2006... Byline: Lucia Patterson Dear Editor: Each election year since at least 1990, The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis has made available to members of the public 'Voters' Information About Judges' -- the judicial evaluation handbook I...

8th U.S. Circuit begins work toward e-filing.
November 17, 2006... Byline: Donna Walter The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is moving toward electronic case filing. Michael Gans, clerk of the court, estimated it would take a year to complete the process of implementing the appellate version of CM/ECF,...

Hearing delayed on Edward Jones' $127M settlement.
November 20, 2006... Byline: Heather Cole U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey won't hear a $127 million proposed settlement of nine class action suits against brokerage Edward D. Jones & Co. until Dec. 12. When Autrey does hear the tentative agreement, one of the...

Builder opts not to take Lake Saint Louis to court.
November 20, 2006... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady After months of sparring with city officials and residents over a proposed seven-story senior-living apartment complex, Thomas Longeway, project manager, compromised with Lake Saint Louis officials and got what he...

Commentary: No joke: Many attorneys enjoy thrill of the hunt.
November 20, 2006... Byline: Will Connaghan For most people, this time of year brings thoughts about the upcoming holidays, dealing with inclement weather and shopping for the perfect gift. But for a certain segment of the population, the thoughts turn to...

Commentary: Gridees immortalize the best and the bawdiest from Gridiron.
November 22, 2006... Byline: Will Connaghan Imagine for a second, Britney Spears arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court, or Nathan Lane drafting a cogent dissent on the intricacies of patent law. Now you have some idea of the absurdity of a bunch of lawyers...

Missouri Attorney General Nixon offers Sunshine Law quiz.
November 22, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff Report Think you know Missouri's Sunshine Law? Attorney General Jay Nixon will put you through your paces. On Nixon's Web site, www.ago.mo.gov, his staff has posted an online quiz designed to educate officials...

Translation service reviews foreign documents for attorneys.
November 22, 2006... Byline: Angie Hanson Susanne Evens is in the business of making international communication between lawyers and clients simpler. "Connecting people is what I love to do," she said. "We network all over the world." Indeed, Evens, president...

Henry Bauer joins Buckingham Family of Financial Services.
November 25, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Henry Bauer has joined the Buckingham Family of Financial Services as a client relationship assistant, BAM Advisor Services LLC. Prior to joining the Buckingham Family, Bauer was a senior research...

Husch & Eppenberger attorneys selected Missouri 'Super Lawyers'.
November 25, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Husch & Eppenberger LLC has announced the names of Husch attorneys in St. Louis who have been selected as Missouri & Kansas "Super Lawyers" in the 2006 edition of Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers,...

Ronald L. Pallmann joins Byron, Gerber, Petri & Kalb.
November 25, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Ronald L. Pallmann has joined Byron, Gerber, Petri & Kalb LLC in an "of counsel capacity. Pallmann has practiced in the areas of commercial, banking, bankruptcy, criminal, real estate and construction...

Micah S. Summers joins Byron, Gerber, Petri & Kalb LLC.
November 25, 2006... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Micah S. Summers has joined Byron, Gerber, Petri & Kalb LLC as an attorney in the Corporate and Real Estate Practice Group. Summers, of Hamel, Ill., has worked for the past two years as an assistant...

St. Louis law firm files 10 suits over 401(k) fees.
November 27, 2006... Byline: Donna Walter While 401(k) retirement plans have been in vogue for a few decades, it's just now that workers are realizing they don't have enough savings to retire on. But a group of lawsuits filed by a St. Louis law firm seeks to...

How much is a judge in Missouri worth?
November 28, 2006... Byline: Allison Retka The Missouri Citizens' Compensation Commission is charged with making salary recommendations to the legislature for elected officials in all three branches of government. But it was members of the judiciary who raised...

Missouri laws on wine-shipping challenged.
November 29, 2006... Byline: Donna Walter Wine, the so-called "drink of the gods," is at the heart of lawsuits filed in federal courts across the country, including one filed in St. Louis. The plaintiffs -- A. Rafanelli Winery in Healdsburg, Calif., Thomas...

Commentary: Smokin' good gifts from and for lawyers.
November 29, 2006... Byline: Will Connaghan The holidays are upon us and the annual rite of purchasing gifts for clients, secretaries and law partners is in full swing. A wide variety of gifts are available, so I am taking it upon myself -- as a public service...

Commentary: Adoptive parents deserve recognition.
November 30, 2006... Byline: Michael A. Wolff On a Saturday morning this November, I participated in a remarkable series of judicial proceedings. The proceedings were adoptions -- the special settings on "Adoption Saturday" in the St. Louis County family court...

St. Louis trials and hearings delayed while prison staff prepares prisoners for transport.
November 30, 2006... Byline: Allison Retka Criminal divisions in the Circuit Court of St. Louis are still recovering from a "minor fiasco" and communication breakdown this month with regard to prisoner transports to court. Trials and hearings were delayed for...

Missouri judges could see their first pay increase in six years.
November 30, 2006... Byline: Scott Lauck and Allison Retka By next July, Missouri judges could see their first pay increase in six years under a plan recommended Wednesday by a citizens' commission. Under the plan, judges, as well as legislators and statewide...